when you give that look to me
by arilovexo
Summary: Rydel knows she's in love with Ellington and she knows Ellington feels the same way. But with the future of the band at risk if she were to pursue a relationship with him, all she feels is anger and resentment towards everyone else. Will her brothers and Laura be able to convince her it'll be okay or will she just decide to live with a broken heart? Rydel/Ellington Ross/Laura


_This is long, like really long. _

_Um, it's Rydel/Ellington. I don't know where to post it, so here I guess is okay. Ross/Laura are in it as well. But it's mainly focused on Rydel and Ellington and their feelings for each other. It's one of my favorite things I've ever written, so give it a chance. Hehe :) _

_So, enjoy! I don't own anything. _

* * *

Rydel sighed, leaning forward as the bus moved along the road, listening to her brother, Ross talk about the lyrics for a song they were currently in the middle of writing. Though she was listening, she was still very distracted. Her phone was in her hand as texted some friends from LA and some from her hometown. She was very bored and was over the whole writing session thing for the day. Two hours of it had been enough and way more than she could handle.

"What about a line like 'dancing out your pants'?" She heard Ellington's voice and looked up, their eyes locking. She felt her heart skip and butterflies explode inside her. He gave her a smile and she smiled back at him. "What do you think Rydel?"

"I think it's a great idea. Perfect even." She answered, her eyes never leaving his.

"I think the only reason you agree with him is because you want to bang him," Rocky commented as Ross and RIker laughed and Rydel smacked him, her cheeks turning pink. He just laughed harder.

"Okay, focus guys!" Ellington smacked his hands on the table, "let's stop laughing at Rydel and finish the song."

"Wow, look who's the tough one now," Ross whispered to Riker.

"I heard that." Ellington pointed at him and Ross just grinned. As the brothers brainstormed ideas (Ryland joined them a few moments later), Ellington looked over at Rydel. He tilted his head towards the back of the bus, quickly pointed at her and then himself and then mouthed, 'talk later.' She nodded and with that they both continued to assist her brothers in writing a new song.

* * *

She'd only been nervous maybe a few times in her life.

Her first ever dance recital when she was about four or five. Her first piano recital with Riker around the same time, when her parents told her and her brothers they were all moving to California so that Riker could follow his dreams, when they were packing and then the day they left, her first actual day in Los Angeles, auditioning to get into a performing arts complex with her dancing skills, her first dance recital in Los Angeles, teaching her first class, meeting Ellington for the first time, forming the band, the band's first ever performance, a few more times in between that were a bit blurry to her (like smoking weed for the first time one night in the back of the bus after a show and drinking alcohol for the first time in Europe) and of course the first night of the world tour.

Okay, maybe not a few times.

But she had never been more nervous then she was at that very moment.

She sat in the back of the bus, waiting for Ellington and staring into pretty much nothingness. The door soon slid open and he walked into the room, closing it behind him.

"How do you know my dumbass brothers won't join us?" She asked him.

"I told them to stay away," He responded and she nodded.

"Rocky will listen to that for about a minute." She reminded him.

"Don't worry," Ellington assured her as he casually sat in the seat across from her, "I threatened his hair, he won't be coming back here for a while." She giggled, knowing just how much Rocky's hair meant to him. Probably more so than anything else in his life, his family, band and guitars included.

"So…" Rydel said, bringing her knees up and leaning her cheek against them, wrapping her arms around her legs. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Ellington smiled at her, "you look really adorable like that."

She smiled, her cheeks turning pink, "thanks."

"Wait, let me take a pic." He said and then held his phone up, he took a picture of her and then shut his phone off, "anyway, I wanted to talk to you about… honestly I don't know. I just wanted to spend some one-on-one alone time with you."

"Aw, really?"

He nodded and then sat down closer to her. He reached into the drawer that was below them and pulled out a ziploc bag with a small orange container inside of it that said 'Rocky's Special Shit'. Since everyone knew what that meant, they never really questioned it. He also didn't care if anyone took some of it, so Ellington took out one of the joints and handed it to her as he closed the lid and then put the ziploc bag back into the drawer. He had a lighter already in his hand and handed it to Rydel. She looked at him and then lit it, taking a hit from it, before coughing like crazy and then handing it over to Ellington. He did the same and then they alternated back and forth for a few moments.

She soon started to feel the effects of it and giggled, falling on to him, her head on his lap as she just stared up at him.

"Do you ever wonder what would happen if we went on stage like this? High as the sky?"

He laughed, "that rhymed."

After thinking about it and realizing he was right, she laughed too, "but seriously answer the question. What do you think would happen?"

"I think there would be a lot of angry parents, managers and innocent children." He answered, taking another hit of the joint. He gave it to her and she took another hit. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then opened them to see Ellington was staring at her.

"Rocky was right you know." She said, her words slurring a bit as she was officially very high.

"Right about what?"

"About me wanting to bang you." She answered him. "We're like… we're like Ross and Laura, you know? So much chemistry between us, so much time we spend together, so many purposeful moments and just so much… love." She whispered the last word.

Ellington didn't answer her for a few moments and she closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the moment letting out a happy sigh.

Ellington moved underneath her and then put one of his hands on her body. She picked it up with hers and played with his fingers, playing with them for a few moments.

"A perfect fit." She said quietly.

He nodded, silently agreeing with her.

After a few moments, she got up and walked over to one of the keyboards she kept in the back. She picked it up (with some struggle) and put it on her lap, sitting down beside Ellington again.

"Let's try to work on that song." She said quietly and he nodded, running his fingers through his hair, he silently agreed with her again.

* * *

She couldn't help but stare at him throughout the interview.

Seriously, he was right beside her and she couldn't stop fucking staring at him.

His hair was a bit messed up in a totally, hot and sexy way. His shirt was the perfect fit and he was wearing skinny jeans.

She wondered if he was staring at her when she wasn't looking.

"So, you two, over there," The interviewer turned his attention on them, she blinked back to reality. She really hadn't been paying attention at all to him. "Let's talk about Rydellington for a moment." She exchanged a look with Ellington and then nodded her head.

"Okay…" She said into the mic that was in her hand, "what about it?"

"Tell us the truth, is there something going on? I feel like there is. You two haven't stopped staring at each other this entire interview. It's like interviewing Ross and Laura!" He joked.

"Hey…" Ross warned him.

Rydel looked at Ellington, "it just runs in the family I guess…" She shrugged and then put the mic down for a second, "but no, there's nothing going on between us. He's… like another brother to me. And we're in a band together, that would just cause so many complications and um, we don't want that. Simple as that." She said and then looked down. Her words had even hurt her, she didn't want to look at Ellington's face to see how it had hurt him.

"Yeah," He tone conveyed probably what he would have showed if he could. She looked up at him, "she's right. Every word she said is true."

And the interviewer moved on to an Austin &amp; Ally question and she couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

"You don't mean that, right?" Ellington whispered in her ear when he thought nobody was looking (Rocky was).

She shrugged, "I don't know what I mean anymore," She whispered back and then the interview continued on, neither one of them making any sort of eye contact throughout the rest of it.

* * *

They hadn't spoken much since the interview.

They had a show that night and had gotten through rehearsals.

Unless it was related to the concert or band, they really hadn't said more than two words to each other.

She was backstage, getting ready for the concert and straightening her hair, when the bathroom door opened. It hit her back and caused her to fall forward, dropping the flat iron by her feet.

"Oh shit, Rydel, I'm sorry." Ellington said and Rydel nodded. It had happened many times before, being in a cramped bathroom on the bus or even in certain venues and on airplanes. She was used to it; from all the boys.

"It's fine." She responded, picking it up, she continued to straighten her hair.

"I think you should curl it," He said, after a few seconds of staring at her in the mirror (she wasn't gonna lie and say that it didn't cause a shiver to go down her spine, because it totally did). He paused, as if thinking over his words for a few seconds and then nodded, "it's much sexier." He winked at her and then she felt her heart stop and had to fight the urge to allow her mouth to fall open.

He picked something up, explaining that it was for Riker, and then left.

She had stared at her reflection in the mirror for a few seconds.

Then she began to curl her hair.

* * *

The show rocked, she was all sweaty and gross. Though, Ellington and her brothers were without a doubt ten times worse.

Her mother had decided on something that was extra sexy for her to wear that night, probably sexier than what she normally wore.

At first, she had thought her brothers and father would have a panic attack and tell her to change, but to her surprise they didn't say a word. They just nodded and then went on with the evening.

That was surprise number one.

Surprise number two was when Ellington had grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers on the stage and held it tight as they bowed in front of the huge crowd for over thirty six hundred audience members.

He let go after it was over, but then grabbed onto it again as soon as she had stepped foot backstage.

He led her all the way until they were outside the venue, completely by themselves and hidden away from everybody else.

"Ellington what is going-" She began but he shook his head. She was worried something was wrong. Like, really, really wrong.

"You can't just wear that and expect me not to want you." He finally said and her eyes widened as she stepped back in shock.

"Wait, what?"

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror and seen what you're wearing? That bra…whatever thing girls wear nowadays is one of the sexiest things I've ever seen and that skirt with it and those shoes that make your legs just look like they go on forever and your hair, all curly like that and you know, also kinda sexy… Rydel you're fucking killing me." He looked right at her as he finished his rant.

"But you and I, we're just friends and you know that we can't-we can't do anything. No matter how much Rocky teases us. We're in a band and if we break up then it's over, all of this, it'll all be over." Her eyes filled with tears, "I can't do that. I can't risk that, especially not at the expense of my career, yours, or my brothers'. It wouldn't be fair, not to anybody."

"Fuck, Rydel!" Ellington pushed his hand through his hair and then looked down. He took a few deep breaths and then looked up. He slowly nodded his head.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered, her eyes still teary and one even slipping down her cheek.

He nodded again, "yeah, me too." He answered and with that, walked passed her. He opened the door and she let out a sob.

"This isn't easy for me either." She said and he stopped walking, slowly turning around. "I think you're sexy and hot and all I want to do is kiss the hell out of you, but I can't. And the fact that all of this, all of what we've worked so hard to achieve is what's stopping me from being happy with someone, truly sucks."

Ellington looked like he was going to say something, but then closed his mouth, thinking over his words for a few moments.

"It sucks we have to choose." He finally said and tilted his head, "didn't your parents ever tell you to follow what's in your heart?"

"If they didn't, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you." She pointed out.

"But what if your heart is telling you to do two different things, then what do you do?" Ellington asked her. He used both his hands as if he was weighing his options. "A chance at true happiness and true love that will probably last forever," He said and that caused her to sob and laugh at the same time, she sniffled and wiped underneath her eyes. "Or a successful career rocking out onstage with your brothers as a role model and a kickass musician."

"That might be your problem," She wasn't going to admit the lie, but knew he could probably see it, "and you probably don't understand this because you grew up as an only child, but I can't choose anybody else over my family."

He nodded, "yeah, you're right, Rydel, I probably wouldn't get it." He snapped.

"I didn't mean to make you upset."

"This whole damn thing is upsetting!" He suddenly yelled at her. She blinked, stepping back again, "your brothers are my best friends, as are you, and you're right, you can't choose over family." And with that said, he turned and this time, opened the door and walked through it, letting it slam hard behind him.

She blinked and stood there for a few moments, biting on her lower lip.

"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" She whispered to herself. She looked down again and let the tears fall for about a minute, before sniffling and straightening herself up again. She had a signing to attend and showing up a crying, emotional mess, probably wasn't going to help things at all.

* * *

"Why aren't you and Ratliff talking to each other?" A little girl asked Rydel. She looked at her.

"We're talking, don't worry." Rydel assured her, not making eye contact with Ellington. "We're just tired, it's been a long day." And emotional, she wanted to add, but refrained from it.

"Okay." The little girl said and then moved on to Ross.

"I have a question for you," An older teenage girl said after they had greeted each other.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." She smiled at her.

"Do you miss dancing and choreographing at all?" She asked her.

"Of course, that was my passion for a really long time. I miss it everyday. But I love what I do, so I can't complain." Rydel answered her as she signed the CD.

"But how did you choose? Between continuing your dance career or joining your brothers on tour in the band? How did you choose between them?" The girl asked her, "to me, the decision would have been so impossible to choose between."

She slowly looked up from the CD she was signing. The girl in front of her had no idea, but that was a war she was currently fighting at the very moment, though the current situation was a bit different. She looked over at Ellington who was looking back at her, he probably had overheard the girl. Ross sat in between them, interested in what she had to say.

"I just had to follow my heart." She finally came up with a viable answer, "they were both my loves and my passions but if I wanted one, I had to stick to it. I chose the band because it meant a lot to me and I couldn't choose over my family. My brothers and Ellington. We all worked hard to get to where we are right now and I couldn't risk messing it all up. I wanted something good to come from my decision, not only for me, but for them as well."

"It's kinda like when I auditioned for Austin and Ally. I knew it was going to keep me very busy and probably delay a lot of rehearsal time, but I figured out how to work my schedule around it and in the end it worked out for the band." Ross shrugged, "same thing with Teen Beach Movie, though we did a bit of writing and rehearsing in Puerto Rico, I had to decide at the point in my career when it wasn't just a me, it was an us, what I wanted to do when I booked the role. You obviously know what I chose, but it wasn't an easy decision to make."

"Yeah…" Rydel blinked distractedly and looked away from her brother. "But in the end we followed our hearts and here we are."

"It all worked out." Ellington added and she looked at him, nodding her head. She quickly turned away and then smiled at the teenage girl, handing her her CD.

"Great question, by the way."

The girl smiled, "well, I was wondering because I've seen the videos that were posted on YouTube of you dancing. You were amazing in them and you looked happy, like it was something you truly enjoyed. Don't give up on it okay? You don't want to lose that happiness, trust me. Don't lose what you love."

Rydel gave her a smile and then stood up, she reached over the table and hugged her. "Thank you." She whispered and then let her go. The girl smiled and with that moved on to Ross to talk to him for a moment. As more and more people came and handed her something to sign, she kept stealing glances towards Ellington.

Her hand in the shape of an L, she held it above her head and the moved it forward. He nodded.

_Later_ was a sign the band used quite often, but not nearly as often as Rydel and Ellington did.

* * *

_You still awake?_

Her phone beeped with a message and she picked it up to see Ellington had texted her.

_Yeah, I can't sleep._ She texted back.

Usually the bus moving along the highway was enough to soothe her and allow her to fall into a peaceful sleep, but the girl she had met at the signing, with her question and her words of wisdom had really resonated inside of her mind and she couldn't get rid of it or fall asleep.

_Me neither._ Ellington texted back and she just sighed. _That girl's words really stuck with me._

_Me too_. She responded back. _It's all I can think about right now._

It took a few moments, but Ellington soon responded. I_ think everyone else is asleep. Since it's later anyways, let's just go in the back and talk._

She shut her phone off and then grabbed it, holding it with her, she drew back the curtain, fighting the urge to laugh at Ellington who was doing the same thing with his. Since they slept across from each other, the fact that they had been texting and had left at the same time was just comical to her.

He shook his head, playfully rolling his eyes and then jumped down. She did the same and with that, they both walked to the back of the bus. Once the door was closed, they realized they could be as loud as they wanted since the room in the back of the bus was soundproofed.

They silently sat down beside each other as Ellington handed her bottle that he'd apparently grabbed on his way to the back of the bus. She smiled as he remembered to grab her favorite late night drink: apple juice.

Many times on the other tours when they both couldn't sleep, they would sneak to the back and either play video games (more of an attempt on Rydel's part), watch a movie or play card games. They had their designated drink, Ellington's was usually water and hers was apple juice, and would just drink it while they stayed awake entertaining each other.

"You remembered that," She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I couldn't forget it." He told her, opening his bottle of water.

"Do you think the girl was right?" She asked him, after they sat in silence and thought to themselves for a moment, "that I'm gonna lose my love for dancing because I chose to be in this band?"

He shook his head, "nah, you won't. It's what you love, how could you lose what you love?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she put her hand over her mouth, fighting back a sob, she then let her hand fall and looked at him, "because that's what I'm doing by not being in a relationship with you. I'm losing what I love by choosing this band and my brothers over you."

He looked down and she felt her heart drop. He then looked up and then she saw it in his eyes, how he truly felt about her.

"We just talked about this." His voice was shaking, emotional, cracking. His eyes filled with tears, "I can't do it again. I don't want to get my heartbroken again."

"You think it's easy to see you every day of my life and not feel something for you? I can't live like that. I won't live like that." She said to him, the tears slipping down her cheeks. She sniffled, looking down at her hands. "I wanted a reaction from you from the outfit I chose to wear tonight and I obviously got that. But all it did was hurt you, hurt me, hurt us. I can't live with this constant heartache anymore Ellington. It's going to kill me one day."

"Well, what are we supposed to do? You know what's at risk." Ellington reminded her, his tone slightly harsh. "We begin a relationship and then for whatever reason break up, the band goes to shit."

"I don't care about the band!" Rydel shouted at him, at her breaking point. "I don't give a shit about it if it's making me feel this way! I gave up dancing for it! I gave up my whole life in Colorado so that Riker could move here and he could live out his dream, but pretty much it's just Ross doing that. I can't deal with knowing that I've given up so much to be apart of this dream. If you remember, I didn't even want to be in this band in the first place! You guys had to beg me to be a part of it and I just agreed because I thought it would be a fun side project, I didn't think it would become this big. I honestly didn't have much belief or trust in this at all." She looked down at again, playing with the bottle in her hand. "And besides, what's the purpose of me being in this band anyways? Other than to be the only girl in an all boys band. So that you could have a keyboard and tambourine player? You guys don't give more than a song and half to sing-"

"You sing background with Ross," Ellington reminded her.

"Exactly, background. You and I are always stuck in the fucking background while Ross gets to do his rockstar thing and Riker and Rocky pretty much back him up. Ross is the real star here, we all know that." She bit her lip. "Every promo shoot we do, every music video we do is always centered around him and I'm okay with it, I've made my peace with it and moved forward. It's whatever."

"Well, what about all the opportunities it gave you to travel?" Ellington asked her, "you've been to places you only dreamed about when we first met. Because of this band you've been able to go all around Europe, Australia, South America, you know the rest."

"You're right about that," She agreed, "but let's face it, Ellington and I believed this when we started and honestly, I still do now. We're popular and famous right now but in a few years there will be another band like ours and it's going to kick us off our place at the top and move us down to the bottom. We may end up being legendary, but…" She shrugged. "The Jonas Brothers were as successful as us, maybe even more and they're broken up now."

"Your family is ten times closer then there's will ever be, trust me when I say there's no danger of that happening." Ellington muttered.

"You could decide to leave the band one day."

He shook his head, "not likely, this band means everything to me."

She bit her lip, the tears returning, "and that's why we can't be happy. If we date, we break up, the band goes to shit and you lose your everything."

He shook his head and then abruptly sat up, taking his hands in hers, "Rydel, when are you going to realize that you're everything to me? That you're my everything."

"You don't mean that." She shook her head.

"Yes I do, you think I don't like that we're the only ones in the back, that we came up with our own spoken language and sign language that nobody else understands but us? That we have our own inside jokes and that you're the only girl outside of my family that I've spent more time with than anybody else? Even my exgirlfriend? We were dance partners, we're bandmates and we're… best friends." His words choked toward the end. "I love you, Rydel, with all my heart."

She sobbed and then leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his. "I love you too, Ellington. A lot." She took a deep breath and shook her head, "but we can't do this. There's so much that's in the way and stopping us."

He nodded, "I know." He whispered.

"I can't make another tough decision again," Rydel told him. "I can't follow half of where my heart is going because it's with you. You have my whole heart, but where half of it's headed is in a completely different direction and though it hurts, it'll just have to get better over time. I have no choice."

"I know." Ellington repeated, squeezing her hands tight and she bit her lip, nodding her head. They stayed like that, silent for a few moments, when Ellington asked her a question that she hadn't been expecting. "Can I be your first kiss? It would make things worse if I knew someone else was your first kiss. I love you too much to let that happen."

She slowly lifted her head, her eyes looking between his lips and his eyes and she silently nodded.

It took a moment, but he soon pressed his lips against hers, the kiss intimate and soft and gentle. She put her hand on the back of his neck and then kissed him back, softly and then they slowly broke apart, their eyes closed as they just stayed close.

Then, Rydel bit her lip and with that pulled away from him.

He heard her quiet sob as she pressed the button to slide open the door and then ran out of it and back to her bunk.

He just closed his eyes and leaned back, fighting away tears as he just thought about everything that had happened in the last hour.

* * *

Everything was still pretty normal.

The band did interviews, Rydel and Ellington getting asked questions about their friendship status, them saying there wasn't anything going on between them and then Rocky usually would say something, teasing them, but lately he had stopped and that was a mystery to them both, performing sold out shows, meet and greets, getting asked the question again, posing for pictures and so on.

It was almost starting to become routine now. Only both Rydel and Ellington talked a bit less and she was starting to think everyone else was beginning to notice the change in their behavior with one another.

A few weeks had passed by and everyone was back in LA. Though the band had rehearsal scheduled for later that afternoon as Ross had to shoot an episode of Austin and Ally, Stormie had scheduled an interview with Popstar Magazine for Rydel.

She had gotten ready for it and then since Stormie was with Ross on set, Rocky had offered to go with her to the interview.

As soon as they walked into the office, she had been taken to a different room and then sat down. Rocky sat down with her and casually twiddled his thumbs and looked around the room, pretending to whistle.

"What are you doing?" Rydel asked him, her tone amused.

"Trying to get time to pass by." Rocky answered, "what's up with you? You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked him, looking down at her hands, "my life is great." She gave him a small, soft smile.

"Yeah, I don't buy that for two seconds," He told her. "What's really up? Ever since that girl talked to you at the signing a few weeks ago, you've been kinda out of it."

She shrugged, "she just gave me something to think about, that's all."

"Do you regret joining the band?" Rocky asked her.

Yes, she wanted to say, but she also knew the answer was no. No matter what, she didn't regret joining the band. She was grateful for all the opportunities it had given her doing so. She couldn't resent the band for that, or her brothers, or even Ellington.

"I don't regret it." She told him, speaking the honest truth from her heart. "I just… thought about some things after my talk with her, things that at some point, I'm gonna want to discuss with you guys."

Rocky nodded, "anything you want to talk about right now?"

She shook her head, "we need everyone else with us." She responded and Rocky nodded just as the door opened and one of the journalists for the magazine walked in and shook hands with her.

After introductions and wondering why Rocky was there and then having to explain why, they finally started with the questions and after a few of them, they were almost finished.

"So, Rydel, this question is a pretty popular one-"

"If it's about me and Ellington, I'm aware of the shippers, we've both seen them and no, there's nothing going on between us but a solid friendship." She answered quickly, ignoring the look Rocky gave her.

Though she noticed the bitterness in her tone and knew she wasn't the only one.

"The question was, have you had your first kiss yet?"

Rydel paused for a moment and then answered, "yes."

"Who is your celebrity crush?"

"Ratliff." Rydel answered without thinking about it and then she realized her mistake.

Shit.

"Okay, I think that's all the time we have for-"

"No, wait, please don't print that, I didn't-" Rydel jumped up quickly and then stumbled over her words. "I can't have you print that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a lie." Rydel told her, "I can't have you send out a lie. I'm supposed to be a role model for a bunch of girls. How is lying going to make that better?" She asked her.

"Something tells me you aren't lying."

"I am, okay? I haven't had my first kiss yet and my celebrity crush is Chris Hemsworth. That's the truth." Rydel told her, staring at her.

"Then why did you give me those answers?" She asked her.

"I honestly can't answer that." Rydel said and then the journalist nodded.

"Okay." She said, "I won't print that."

Rydel breathed a sigh of relief, "thank you."

The journalist gave her a curt nod and with that said her goodbyes and was on her way.

"You're such a bullshitter." Rocky said as soon as Rydel had sat down to retie her boots.

She let out a laugh, "what are you talking about?"

"I know you like Ellington," He said, "I can see it whenever you're around each other, it's the same look Ross gives Laura when he's with her."

Damn Rocky for being so observant, she thought.

"Well, okay, let's just pretend I have feelings for Ellington-"

"I'm calling bullshit, but okay, go ahead."

She rolled her eyes, "what good would come out of it if we were to begin a relationship? We start one, the band breaks up and then what, all that we've worked for is gone, over. That's not something I'd be willing to risk."

"Rydel-"

She held her hand up, "I don't want to talk about this anymore, can we please just go home?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah," He answered quietly, "let's go."

* * *

Rocky followed Rydel into the house. She went upstairs to her bedroom to change and he went into the living room where he found his brothers all sitting around watching tv.

"Great, you're all here, we need to talk. Lynch Bro conference, mine and Riker's room, now." He said, shutting the tv off and ignoring their complaints. He then did a double take, "Ross? You're back early."

"Yeah, we got the afternoon off so that I could rehearse." He said and Rocky nodded.

"Awesome, okay. Guys, let's go, upstairs."

It didn't take long for everyone to congregate in Rocky's room, so he closed the door and then faced his brothers.

"Why are we here?" Ryland asked.

"We've got a bit of situation," Rocky answered, "Rydellington, because I'm too lazy to say both their names."

"What about them?" RIker asked.

"They're miserable, it's awful." Rocky sighed, sitting down on his bed. "I know you guys aren't nearly as observant as I am, but seriously, do you not notice how unhappy they are? Ever since that girl talked to Rydel she's been off in her own world and Ellington's with her, only in his own world if that makes sense.

"Well, it's you, so…" Ryland trailed off, "anyway, what's been going on with them?"

"They aren't happy." Rocky answered.

"Why do you think so?" Ross asked.

"Rydel kinda told me a little about it today. If they were to start a relationship, and this was all hypothetical by the way, at least to her, and they break up, then the band goes to shit and everything we worked for is over with." Rocky explained.

"So they're afraid to start a relationship for the band's sake?" Riker asked and Rocky nodded.

"I think that's it, yeah." He turned to Ross, "let's take you and Laura for example, you didn't want to date for probably the same reason, you break up then the show goes to shit because the magic and chemistry is gone."

"But we're already-"

"You know what I mean." Rocky waved him off, "make sense?" He asked him and he nodded.

"I should go talk to her," Ross said, getting up but Rocky stopped him.

"They've hardly spoken or spent time together in weeks. I have an idea that will help." Rocky said and then motioned for them to huddle, he told them his plan, which they agreed was perfect and with that, broke apart to get ready for rehearsal.

* * *

"Okay, great, Ellington's here, about time, bro." RIker said, pulling him over to his side of the rehearsal studio.

"Why so excited to see me?" He asked.

"Because, we've added something new to our show and we need someone to learn how to play the drums, someone who doesn't know." Riker vaguely explained.

"Someone like Rydel," Rocky filled in, looking up from his guitar. "She needs to learn how to play the drums on the drum pads," He explained.

"You guys know how to play drums, why don't you just teach her?" He asked them.

"Because you're a drum god, we're just amateur," Riker replied, "don't tell Ross I said that by the way."

Ellington rolled his eyes, "yeah, sure, thanks for the compliment by the way."

"So, you'll teach her?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, sure, no problem." He responded, giving them the thumbs up. "Let me set my drums up and then we can get started."

As he walked away, both Rocky and Riker bumped fists and then gave the thumbs up to their brothers who were setting up Ross' guitar across the room. Rydel looked up from the keyboard, confused, but then just shrugged and went back to her own business.

* * *

"Hey."

Rydel heard his voice, soft and gentle and looked up to see he was standing in front of her keyboard, drumsticks in his hands. "Rocky, Riker and Ross want me to teach you some rudiments on the drum pads."

"Um, why?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "for the new songs, they obviously can't do it and decided you'd be perfect for it I guess."

She nodded and then followed him a few feet away. They sat down and he told her he was going to demonstrate what to do first and then she had to copy him. She nodded and then watched him, her eyes intense as he rocked out on the ground, first, and then on the drum pads that had mysteriously appeared in front of them (not really, Ross had placed them right in front of them after a few moments of watching them).

She was nothing if not a fast learner (her history with always nailing a dance routine perfectly proved that) and soon enough was able to do what he did almost as well, if not equally.

"Awesome Rye!" He held his hand up for a high five and she laughed, high fiving him, her hand stopping as soon as it touched his.

"You…you haven't called me that in a really long time." She said, adjusting herself so she was a bit more comfortable in her spot.

He shrugged, "guess I just missed it." He gave her a small smile and slowly both their hands disconnected and fell down in between them.

It was awkwardly silent after that.

"Okay Rydel, I think you've got it," He finally said, clearing his throat and then looked up to see her brothers had been there watching the whole time. "Uh, Riker? Ross, Rocky? Want to um, try it with the song?" He stood up, holding his hand out for Rydel to take it and helped her up, then walked back to his spot behind the drums.

"Yeah, Rydel, uh, take the pads over to your keyboard and put them somewhere you can hit them, for lack of another way of explaining what it is I want you to do," Riker said and Rydel nodded and with that they continued on with rehearsal.

* * *

She was alone in her room, having just taken a shower and running a brush through her hair when her phone that was resting on her vanity began ringing. She picked up and saw the caller ID, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hey girl," She answered it and put the brush down, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Hey, Rydel, how are you?" Laura's cheerful voice came through the speaker. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too!" Rydel answered, "when are you going to come over, not spend the whole time making out with my brother and spend some girl time with me?"

"Well, if you open up your bedroom door, you might find out," Laura giggled.

"What?" Rydel asked, confused and with that stood up to cross the room and open the door. Sure enough, Laura was on the other side. She squealed and then immediately brought Rydel into a hug. Rydel giggled and gave her a tight hug back.

"Aren't you supposed to be shooting?" Rydel asked her after they broke apart.

"I got to leave early, seems that Austin and Dez are going to cause a bit of trouble on stage this week. Ross isn't here." Laura explained as she walked passed her and sat down on her bed. Rydel nodded as she closed the door and then went to join her. "So, what's new? Anything?" Laura asked her.

Rydel fell back on the bed, lying down so she could stare up at the ceiling, she just shrugged and sighed, "my life is so complicated."

Laura fell down beside her, "how so?"

"I'm in love with someone I can't be with," Rydel whispered, "and it's killing me to know that and why we can't be together."

"Well, what's stopping you?"

"My choices in between my family or my career, the band-"

"What about your own happiness?" Laura asked her, cutting her off, "don't you deserve to be happy?"

"Well, yeah, of course, but-"

"But nothing," Laura shook her head, "if what you're saying is true at all, then when I had to make the choice in between Ross and my job on the show and I chose Ross, knowing exactly what was at risk, then what does that tell you?"

"That you value your happiness," Rydel responded, "but our situations are different. You didn't move out of a different state and change your whole life for that."

"No, I didn't, you're right about that, but it wasn't easy getting the role. I had to work hard for it and then I met and fell for your dork of a brother," Rydel giggled. "What I'm trying to get you to understand is that if I hadn't taken that risk, knowing exactly what I was going to lose and what was going to happen in our relationship with your insane tour schedule, then I wouldn't know what would happen. My life would be drastically different, but at the same time, all of this, my relationship, my job, everything I've been through to get here, was worth it. I knew what I wanted and I still do and I was able to have them both. Yeah, if we break up it might change the chemistry of the show a bit, but really, I don't think that's at risk of happening at all." Laura took her hand in hers. "Take that risk, don't look down, know that once you do, there's no turning back, just push ahead and tell yourself not to look down. All you need is twenty seconds of courage and you'll find that it was the best decision you could have ever made."

Rydel softly laughed, "did you just quote an Austin and Ally song and We Bought A Zoo?"

Laura rolled her eyes, "did it help you see the bright side?" She asked and Rydel nodded, she sat up and then hugged her tight.

"Thank you," She whispered, "it's exactly what I needed to hear."

Laura laughed, "anytime."

Her door was then kicked open and Ross stood on the other side of it, grinning. They broke apart to look at him.

"Were you there the whole time?" Rydel asked.

"No, I just got here, but her coming to visit you was kinda my idea and hers, both of ours if you will, but mostly mine. It was a good idea." Ross said as he walked over to the other side of the room, Rocky and Riker soon joined him and Rydel knew something was up.

"What's going on?" Rydel asked.

"We want to talk to you," Riker said, "and now's the perfect moment I guess."

"Okay what about?"

"We know what you're giving up for us and that's not fair," Rocky answered.

Riker dropped down in front of her, "you gave up a lot for me so that we could move out here and then a lot for us so that we could start this band. You gave up your dancing for us."

"Well, you're my brothers, it's what families do," Rydel said. Ross looked at Laura and noticed she had tears in her eyes and a small smile on her face. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

"But what about your happiness?" Riker asked her, which seemed to be the question she was getting a lot lately, from everyone, including herself. "Why can't you be with somebody you love? Why do you have to torture yourself for us?"

"Like I said," Rydel responded, "it's what you do for your family, you don't turn your back on them."

"But you can't turn your back on your best friends either," Ross reminded her. "You wouldn't turn your back on Lori or Laura or Vanessa or Maia, right?"

She nodded.

"Then why would you for Ellington?" He softly asked her.

"I'm not turning my back on him, I'm just protecting us, the band. If we break up-"

"Then what, we lose our drummer?" Riker asked her, "trust me when I say that guy's not going anywhere, ever."

"He's the best drummer in town," Rocky added.

"That and we'd probably force you both to work out your issues. You're meant to be Rydel, don't you see that? You and Ellington are meant to be," Ross waved his hand and she looked at him, "remember what you told me when I told you how I felt about Laura?"

"Yeah, I told you to take the chance, don't give up."

"And you shouldn't either," Ross told her, his tone strong.

Rydel's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip, allowing her head to drop as she stared down at her feet. Her hands went up to cover her face and she nodded, "I just love him so much," She finally said, after she had lifted her head up to look at Riker. "I can't lose him and that's what I'm most afraid of, not as a friend, a boyfriend or anything else."

"What makes you think he's going to go anywhere?" Rocky asked her.

She shrugged, "I don't really know that he will."

"Exactly." Ross said and Rydel nodded, she bit her lip and looked down.

"Thanks guys, it means a lot that you support it." She gave them a smile and then they all hugged her. She giggled and hugged them back.

* * *

Nothing more happened in the next few weeks, other than band rehearsals, song writing sessions, shows and appearances on television shows and at county fairs, there wasn't much else that went on.

Christmas was just two weeks away. They were on their way to the next venue they would be performing at, Rydel sitting on the couch in the bus, looking over her instagram when someone sat down beside her.

"Hey Ellington," She said, as she pressed the home button and locked her phone.

"Hey Rye." He said softly, "what are you up to?"

She shrugged, "nothing really. I was just tweeting a few people and checking Instagram, that's pretty much it."

He nodded, "so, I was wondering… do you want to come with me and my parents to Wisconsin for a few days? I know you're going to Colorado for Christmas, but I was wondering if before you go, you'd come with me to see my family." He sounded nervous and she could tell he was.

So, she just nodded her head, "yeah, I'd like that. I'd love to see your family again."

He smiled, "okay, cool."

She smiled back.

* * *

Growing up in Colorado, she was used to cold weather. But it was nothing in comparison to Wisconsin's cold weather.

Luckily, she had packed her winter clothes (and other clothes her mother had recently bought for her) so she wasn't too worried about freezing to death.

The only difference from her childhood to then was that she'd been living in LA for the past six or seven years and was used to warm weather. She couldn't remember if she'd ever been that cold in her life.

"Cold?" Ellington asked her and she nodded. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her, rubbing her back to warm her up. He pulled away a bit and they stared at each other. She opened her mouth to say something, but his mother walked outside, two cups of hot cocoa in her hands. He immediately broke away from her and gratefully took the hot cocoa from her, Rydel doing the same.

"Thanks," She whispered and his mother nodded. With that, she left and Ellington sat down on one of the chairs. Rydel sat in the one next to him. That moment was when she realized that there would be nothing stopping them anymore. If they wanted to talk, about anything, they could.

An if she was being honest, she was a bit scared of what the outcome of the talk would be.

"So, Ross sent me this mix for a new song earlier today, it's killer." Ellington said as he stared off into the distance and took a sip of his hot cocoa, his eyes soon went to hers and he looked at her.

"What? He didn't send me anything, little shit." She muttered into her drink, causing Ellington to burst out laughing.

"It's um, kinda a song we're working on together, you'll see it when we're finished." He said and she looked up at him.

"Why is it about someone?" She asked.

He paused, for only a second, "maybe," He finally answered.

His vague response to her question suddenly made her nervous. She wanted to know more about it, but she wasn't going to press him on it if he wasn't going to say anything.

"This is nice," She sighed, looking around. The stars were out and twinkling and it just felt so peaceful. She closed her eyes and took in the moment.

"Yeah," He said, "it is," He agreed.

"Thanks for inviting me here," She said softly, opening her eyes and looking at him. She reached for his hand and took it in hers, squeezing it tightly, she smiled at him. "I'm really happy I came with you."

He smiled, looking down at their hands and then up at her, "I'm happy you came too." He responded and then with one last squeeze (from both of them), they let go.

* * *

Meeting his family had been fun. She'd already met them numerous times before (since they had met years ago and had been friends ever since), but one moment in particular had really stood out to her.

Ellington had three older half-brothers from his father's previous relationship and though she had met them a few times, that day she'd seen them was the most time she had ever spent with them in her entire friendship with Ellington.

And one of them had asked them, rather bluntly, straight up, was there anything going on between them?

They had looked at each other and then quickly answered, no.

There was nothing going on between them.

It hurt her heart that she had to say it, but it was now there, out in the open.

But then his other brother asked if that was true, then why had she come along with him to visit his family?

They didn't have a good enough answer for that one.

She was even curious about it herself. Why had Ellington invited her if there was nothing going on between them?

He had come up with an answer about how she was going to Colorado to see her family the next day and it had been his idea to bring her along to see his. He just wanted everyone to meet his amazing best friend.

And as he said it, she saw it in his eyes, the real, genuine love he felt for her.

It made her heart skip and a smile to appear on her face.

She wondered if she always looked like that around him, but dismissed the thought and instead talked with the rest of his family about the band and touring and how amazing the whole experience was.

His family was even surprised to find out she hadn't wanted to be a part of it first.

It was a good time, one of her top ten favorite moments with Ellingon, for sure.

* * *

"Well, I guess I'm leaving now," Rydel said, looking back at the airport she was about to enter as Ellington stood in front of her, her bags by his feet, his car still running behind him.

He nodded, pausing a moment to run his fingers through his hair.

"Thanks again, for coming here with me," He said quietly and she smiled, nodding her head.

"Thanks for letting me come." She tilted her head and then stepped forward, she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "You're the best, you know." She whispered raspily into his ear, stepping back to look at him for a moment. "Thanks for being you."

"Thank you for being you," He answered, "my family loves you."

"Well, you know, I'm lovable." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and laughed. He laughed with her.

"I can't argue with that."

She blushed, "well um, I should go, but I just want you to know that I'm gonna miss you and I can't wait to see you again." She gave him a meaningful look and he stepped forward again, his hand went to her cheek and he looked down at her.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," He whispered and then before she could say anything more, he pressed his lips against hers in a gentle, soft and intimate kiss. She put her hand on his arm and leaned up, pressing her lips against his more firmly.

They slowly broke off the kiss, their foreheads leaned against the other's.

"Let's make a deal, let's be Hazel and Augustus," Ellington said and she opened her eyes to look at him. He knew how much she loved the book (though she still hadn't seen the movie, but he was going to change that as soon as he saw her again). She smiled. "Okay?"

"Okay." She whispered and then softly kissed him again.

With that, she bit her lip to stop the tears from falling and slowly moved away from him. His hand grabbed hers and he squeezed it tight, before letting it go. She picked up her bags and then turned, taking a few steps away from him, she turned around.

"I love you!" She called and he grinned.

"I love you too!" He called louder and they both laughed, realizing they didn't give a shit who heard.

And then with smiles on both their faces, they left to their respective places, knowing that the smile was never going to go away.

* * *

"How did it go in Wisconsin with Ellington?" Ross asked after a night of partying, dinner and opening Christmas Eve gifts. He sat down beside her, on the arm of the chair she was sitting in.

"We kissed before I boarded the plane," She responded, honestly. "We said we loved each other as I left and… I don't know. The whole trip was amazing."

Ross smiled at her, "I know you love him and I know he loves you, you'd have to be an idiot not to see that." She giggled, "I'm just happy to see you so happy again."

"I am too." She responded honestly, squeezing his hand in hers. "I'm still a little bit scared, but I think it'll be okay."

"I do too. You wanna know why?" He asked and she nodded, "because you two are meant for each other. The past six years of all this romantic tension was getting to be a bit crazy." He told her. "why not break it and just… go for it, you know? I did it with Laura and it turned out to be the best decision I've ever made in my entire life."

"You are such a romantic, it's cute." She said and he nodded.

"I know." He playfully pushed her, "just take that chance okay? Next time you see him. Doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, just go for it." He then thought of something and smirked, "don't let a seven nation army hold you back," He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well played there, Rossy Shor."

He smiled, "thanks."

Her phone vibrated in her hand, so she picked it up to see she had a text from Ellington.

_Miss you Crazy Girl._ She smiled at the nickname he'd given her around the time they met that had stuck. Her mother had started using it more and more and then everyone eventually used it as well, but it was Ellington that used it more so than anybody else.

_Miss you too, E-Rat._ She texted him back with a smiley face and found that she was smiling herself.

* * *

"Celebrating your nineteenth birthday with a concert, takes a lot of guts," Rocky commented to Ross who just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't care, as long as I got my family and my girl here, I'm happy." He said, slipping his arm around Laura.

"Smooth." Rocky responded and then winked at them.

Rydel just sighed, shaking her head and staring down at her phone as she waited for Ellington to show up at the venue they were playing at that night. She opened up her National Geographic app and started to look at the pictures and read a bit about the places, so into what she was doing that she hadn't been paying much attention to everything else that was going on around her.

"Hey, Ross! Happy birthday, bro!" She heard the familiar voice and then turned around to see Ellington was a few feet away from her, he high fived Ross and then hugged him, high giving Rocky and hugging Laura. Then he finally turned to her and she breathed heavily as they came face to face.

"Rye," He whispered.

"Ellington," She whispered back.

"This is gonna be interesting," She heard Rocky stage whisper to Ross and Laura. She ignored it though as Ellington stepped towards her.

"Hey guys, ready for-" Riker and Ryland joined them, but Rocky put his hand on his shoulder and his finger to his lips.

"Shh!" He said and then pointed ahead at his sister and best friend who were just a few feet ahead of them.

"Finally," Ellington said, the first one of the two of them to speak, "we're reunited."

She smiled, "you've been waiting for this moment for a while huh?" She teased and he nodded.

"Since you left Wisconsin, yeah." He admitted, walking closer to her. He put both hands on either side of her trapping her against the crates that held some of their equipment and instruments. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him.

"So, what are you gonna do about it then?" She asked him, staring right into his eyes as he stared right back into hers.

"I'm gonna kiss you," He answered, "okay?" He whispered.

"Okay." She smiled back and then he pressed his lips against hers, his hands going to her back and pressing her more against him as her arms went around his neck, kissing him deeper and more meaningfully.

"Yeah! Yes!" They heard and broke apart to see Rocky was clapping his hands and cheering for them, Riker, Ryland, Ross and Laura doing the same. They all had smiles on their faces and she giggled, hiding her face in his neck as they hugged.

As everyone came to congratulate and talk to them, she couldn't help but think that even though she'd been afraid before, she most definitely wasn't anymore. Especially after Ross' comment that witnessing their moment and her happiness, was one of the best birthday presents he could have ever asked for.

That made her cry and she hugged him tight and realized that with everyone's support, anything was possible for her and Ellingon's relationship and that nothing would stand in their way anymore.

Everything would be okay.

* * *

In the middle of their duet, she had made a decision.

She was going to let the whole world know how she felt about Ellington Ratliff. She didn't care what other people thought anymore.

So, at the second verse, as he was telling everyone to clap along, she grabbed her sparkling microphone and walked down the steps and to his drums, walking up the steps so that she stood right beside him.

She sang the first two lines and then she put her arm around his neck and fell onto his lap. He stopped playing for only a second, his hands now wrapped around her body as his feet kept in time with the beat. He was that talented. And she was super impressed.

Then they sang the end of the second verse together and as her brothers continued to play the song, she just pressed her lips against his and fiercely kissed him. His hair was soggy and wet from sweat, but she didn't care. She felt him smile against her lips and kiss her back and then she had to go back to her keyboard and finish the song.

The crowd was cheering so loud it was almost deafening, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Laura give her the thumbs up and grinned to herself.

She turned her head and saw Ellington staring back at her, he smiled, she smiled and then they finished the song and the lights went out.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Riker asked as soon as they were backstage. He had a smile on his face and as Rydel jumped on Ellington's back and crossed her arms around his neck, he just shook his head amused at his sister's antics.

"That was me deciding I don't give a shit and that the world needed finally know the truth." Rydel answered as Ellington moved his head to look at her. He smiled at her.

"She's back," Rocky commented. "The happy, cheery Rydel is back, we missed ya, girl." He said and then hugged her, she one arm hugged him back and then giggled as Ellington spun her around.

"Hell yeah," Ross said as he wiped the sweat off his face. He looked up as Ryland and Laura signaled something to him and he nodded, smacking Rocky's chest. "Come on, bro, we've got to go onstage for our song." Rocky nodded.

"See you two lovebirds later," He winked at them and then Ellington adjusted Rydel so that she wasn't falling down him so much.

"You guys go have fun, be back in two minutes though, literally." Riker said.

"Not much time…" Ellington began.

"But we can make it work," Rydel finished, "come on."

* * *

"Come on, let's dance," Ellington said as they both heard Ross singing. She nodded and he put her down, his hand taking hers, he spun her around and then they began to slow dance. "So, what was that out there?" He asked her. "Not that I hated it, because trust me, I totally loved it, but yeah, explain yourself missy."

She giggled, "I just wanted to show the whole world that you were mine, you know? Plus, it was time I started giving a shit about myself, you, us, instead of giving a shit about what others thought about it. I didn't want to let my insecurities get the best of me anymore."

He smiled, "wow, that's a big decision you made there, Rye."

"I know." She smiled and then leaned up to kiss him. "But I think it's the best decision I could have ever made."

"I can't argue with that," He said and then kissed her again, this time, they didn't stop, deepening it as she ran her fingers through his hair and pressed herself against him more. He groaned into her mouth and she bit down on his bottom lip as she pulled away, only to kiss him again. They heard the sound of the crowd cheering and then broke apart, Rydel giggling as she saw her lipstick was all over Ellington's face.

"Time to go back out there," She said.

"With your lipstick all over me?" He asked and she nodded.

"It's hot." She winked at him and then kissed him again. She took his hand in hers. "Come on, let's get out there before my brothers find us and kill us."

"Or Rocky might stop anything from going further…" He trailed off, "remind me to lock the doors to my room and yours if we ever make out in them." He said and she nodded, he heart beating fast.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Okay." He smiled back.

* * *

"So, now, tell us the truth," The interviewer looked in between Ellington and Rydel who were sitting side by side, "you two have covered Neon Trees' Sleeping with a Friend, White Stripes and at your last concert, Rydel, you sat on his lap and kissed him, care to tell us what's going on?"

"I don't think we have to." Ellington smiled and Rydel smiled back, he looked at the interviewer, "you pretty much just summed everything up, you've got it all figured out." He took Rydel's hands in his. "But let's put it this way, we're taking a chance, letting go of our insecurities and going with our hearts," He had been looking down at their laced fingers and smiled to himself, before he looked up again. "There's your answer."

Rydel couldn't help but kiss his cheek, it was the perfect answer, exactly what she hoped he would say.

"Okay…" The interviewer smiled and with that, moved onto her next question about the tour.

Ellingon hadn't let go of her hand and she squeezed it. He squeezed it back and then they focused back in on the interview.

* * *

"Hey, Rye." He whispered, she turned her head to look at him. He smiled and held up a DVD.

Her eyes lit up, "you got the Fault in our Stars?"

He nodded, "yeah figured we could watch it."

She smiled at him, "best boyfriend ever," She whispered and then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Boyfriend?" She nodded. He smiled, "okay.. girlfriend."

She kissed him again, "okay, boyfriend." She whispered back and with that they got the movie ready for them to watch.

* * *

Things had changed, she realized. She had gone from someone who was scared to start a relationship because she was concerned about the band, but in the end, it hadn't even mattered. She was in love with who she was in love with and she finally followed her heart. With all the support she had, how could she not?

As she sat beside Ellington in his car, her brothers behind them as they were driving to the beach, she realized that she was in fact, the lucky one. He had her heart and she wasn't willing to give it to anyone else. She knew she had his.

They were meant to be. She loved him and he loved her right back.

And finally, she realized, that it was all going to be okay.

Nothing could break them apart anymore.

* * *

_Review! Tell me what you think of this. I was insecure about posting it, but it's literally one of my favorite things I've ever written. _

_I really want honest opinions here. So, yeah, tell me what you think and if you think I should write another chapter. _

_I know it was angsty, but yeah. I've been on a Rydel and Ellington like love lately. Maybe when Ross and Laura are reunited, I'll go back to them, but for now, it's all about Rydel and Ellington. _

_Don't worry, I'll still write Ross and Laura stories :) _

_Much love! xx_


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